Only Worth It If It's SUPER CHEAP.

Overall, my experience at the Exellence Punta Cana was a solid "so-so". I had fun, but it was because I was with good friends, not because it was an awesome resort. Here's the detailed report:
For 2 people we paid about $3000 (including flight) for 6 nights in the standard room (no fancy upgrades to the Excellence Club, which would have added an extra $500 to the trip for the week), and I think I would have been happy if we had paid about half that amount (i.e. $1500 for 2 people including flights). For the $3k we paid though, the experience was a let-down. I should note that I usually travel for business (domestic and international), so my expectations (re. service, room quality, etc) are set by the service I typically get at a nicer Starwood hotel... especially when paying $3k to stay for a week in a country like Dominican Republic where the $USD is still relatively strong. Unfortunately, the Excellence Punta Cana didn't hit my expectations for the 4-star hotel that it was sold as.
Here are the pro's and con's:
PRO:
- AWESOME bar staff, especially at the pool bar. Good drinks, nice personality, good service.
- Pool and beach areas were nice. The upkeep wasn't awesome, but they were fine.
- Food. Overall the food, as usual for the Excellence resorts (I've also been to Excellence Cancun), was better than the other all-inclusives I've been to. (Iberostar Riviera Maya, Barcelo Maya Palace in Mexico, Paradisus Punta Cana, etc). The Lobster House was the only disappointment (lobster was mushy/ fishy so we left and went to a different restaurant) but the others were good. We liked Agave (mexican), Spice (asian fusion) and Toscana (italian) the best; our friends liked Chez Isabelle (french) the best. We would have liked the french place better if the service had been better, since the food *was* good - but the awful service made it one of our least favorites.
- Welcome staff. The bellhops and front desk staff were very good, and had nice personalities - like they actually enjoyed their jobs. :) This was unlike the rest of the service staff at the hotel (excluding bar staff), who seemed to hate being there most of the time.
- Entertainment. Surprisingly AWESOME, especially on the nights when they did theater shows with dancing, which was really high quality! (e.g. broadway, Micheal Jackson, etc). Also, the day-time entertainment people were lots of fun if you like the cute games and stuff. They gave away bottles of rum with $40 gift certificates to the spa if you won, so that was cool.
CON:
- Rooms. They were on the shabby side. You can tell they used to be really nice, but now they're a little old. I'd say the quality was comparable to an older Holiday Inn Express in the US. My husband had to DEFROST our in-room fridge himself just to get it to work (always fun after a 6 hr plane ride), the chain lock on our door was broken, the shower head was dangling from the shower when we arrived (he fixed that himself too), and the shower drain was plugged. The bed was lumpy and the pillows were small and hard. Not sure when the last time was that the comforter had been washed. Also, we had that lovely musty/ moldy smell that seems ubiquitous in the tropics. We didn't think the smell was too bad til we got home and realized that everything in the suitcase smelled like the room, and it was rancid. Oh, and the air conditioning was not strong. It was cooler while we were there (thank god) so it was okay, but I can't imagine how the rooms would feel in the middle of the hot season. Overall, the rooms were not thrilling.
- Housekeeping. They often took our dirty towels without leaving clean ones. You get a max of 2 bath towels, 2 washcloths and 2 hand towels, no more (despite many requests via notes in Spanish, left for housekeeping along with $USD tips) and often times way less than that (as in, only 1 bath towel for 2 people). :(
- Mini bar. When we arrived, everything in the mini bar was room temperature...

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):

Amenities:

2

Cleanliness:

2

Hotel staff:

1

Comfort:

1

Location:

3

Value:

2

Trip purpose:

Business

Entertainment tip:
Not Applicable

Make sure to go to the "Micheal Jackson" show if you get the chance. It was AWESOME - as in, I'd pay money to see it back home! (Surprising, since most of the all-inclusives have awful/ cheesey entertainment!) :)

EH

Although the staff was quick to fix issues, there were many things that were an inconvenience. The AC in my room broke the first day we were there, they sent someone out the next morning but the night was tough to get through. The shelf in our room broke prior to us arriving so when we got there, we had to deal with the repair men drilling and hammering while we were trying to unpack. There were also a ton of tiny ants crawling around the coffee machine/drinkware area making me not want to touch any of the drinking glasses.

Great night time show

I was little disappointed as most staff at this place were unfriendly and welcoming. Also I felt dining experience left a lot to be desired as fine dining was overkill when you on vacation. I have stayed at excellence in Mexico which was my reason for trying this resort but they are definitely not the same from greeters to management staff I had staff take my flip flops and nothing was done aboutitbut I look at it as they needed more me

Excellente service, but bad food

It takes an hour from the airport to arrive to the hotel. We knew this, therefore, it did not bother us much. When we arrived, they received us with a champagne glass ang gave us an automatic upgrade. We paid the most affordable room, and they assigned us to a suite. The lobby is nice and the surroundings too.
They upgraded us, but the room was not ready when we arrived, therefore , we went to the Italian restaurant. Do not be fool, they have eight restaurants, but all serve the same bad food. When the room was ready, two hours later, we noticed that it was very pretty. Also, I should say that Dominican people are amazing: friendly and they offer a great service.
However, the food that they serve is terrible. This culinary disaster was shown over and over again: in the Pan Asian Restaurant (the sushi does not even look like one), the French and the Steak house.
The shows at night are very, very low quality. The drinks are international. However, do not expect the most expensive ones, but you can find Chilean wines, and the Mojitos are great. For me, it was fine. The swimingpool is very nice too.
The last day, we paid for a massage, and the experience was wonderful. They noy only gave us the massage, but also treated us like royalty. A good thing to do.
In summary, I would not go back again, because the quality of the food is very important for me. and unfortunatedly it is very, very, very low... In addition, we found a big roach in the bedroom the last day!!!

1st anniversary

Hotel itself was good overall but it would have been better if the hotel provided more activities.
Hotel consigner should of been more active with the travelers to provide help.
I was little bit disappointed with the food.

Good (but not great) beach getaway

The beach, pools, bars, gym, and other facilities were very good. Unfortunately the room and dining left a bit to be desired. The room was decent, but the bed was very uncomfortable. The food quality was okay at best. Most of the food, even at the sit-down restaurants, was pre-made (as opposed to cooked to order) and did not use fresh ingredients (e.g., canned mushrooms were used as a side at the steak restaurant). However, dining highlights were the freshly grilled items and brick-oven pizzas made on the beach and the Dominican-inspired food (i.e., the special Dominican dinner buffet and Dominican breakfast). The beach and staff (especially the entertainment folks) were top-notch. In summary, a good place to sit on the beach and drink from a coconut, as long as you don't have high expectations for the food/dining experience.

Adults Version of Spring Break

Upon arrival the staff immediately greets you with champagne and a hot towel that is well needed after the 1 hour bus trip from the airport. Overall the grounds and lobby are pretty well kept.
The rooms are quite musty and a bit outdated with an 80's vibe (pastel, pickeled wood). The musty odor is kind of a given with all the humidity. The mini bar in the base suite is beer and soda, no liquor.
I am very familiar with my vodkas and this place boasts "premium liquor." They do offer Stoly, Absolut, or Finlandia, however there were multiple times where the liquor spoiled (possibly heat stress). We complained several times and they were willing to repour, however the issue was sometimes not resolved with a new bottle opened in front of our eyes. It was hit and miss.
The bar staff was incredible, especially with a bit of tipping. Omar, Javier, Juan, Victor, and Altagarcia provided us with a plethora of service and a lot of humor, regardless of our location. They moved frequently but they always kept track of us.
Pools were nice and good fun was had. The swim up bar gets a bit wild, but there were quiet areas for lounging.
The beach was pretty, in terms of view. Beach maintenance was hit and miss. We did get kicked off the beach in the late evening. One staff member told us it wasn't a problem, but then it was according to another member.
The food was decent and we really didn't go without choices. It wasn't five star quality but it was 3.5/5.0. It lists "casual elegance" for men, but jeans and a collared shirt and shoes are appropriate.
We just wanted to lounge on the beach, in the pools, and take in some beverages. We went with one other couple, which is a good thing. There were many single couples that were looking for someone with which to converse.
If you are looking for a kid-free, extended weekend with another couple, it is worth the trip. We went during "hurricane season" however experienced only one afternoon of rain. Going during this season provided a lower rate. I wouldn't pay peak season prices.